Naval Services FamilyLine

A Mentoring Lifeline Since 1965

Who We Are and What We Do

Our History

Naval Services FamilyLine is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to serving naval spouses across the country and the world. Our network of experienced, trained volunteer spouses allows us to mentor, consult, and guide families in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

FamilyLine, formerly known as the Navy Wifeline Association, was established in 1965 by a group of Navy wives who wanted to form a channel of communication for all Navy Spouses. The aim was to provide a welcome and introduction to Navy life and to increase the spouses’ understanding of the Navy’s mission. This dedicated group established an office at the Washington Navy Yard and began publishing a quarterly newspaper. These Navy wives had the foresight to see the need for spouse and family support and provided the ground work for what has developed into a world-wide family support network.

With the support of the Chief of Naval Operations (Family Framework Version 2.0) and Navy leadership, along with the financial support of the Navy League, Spouses Clubs worldwide, and other Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard organizations, Naval Services FamilyLine has continued to grow and flourish, now providing 9 publications and spouse mentoring courses across the globe.

Our Programs and Publications

We want to help you have positive experiences that you will treasure for a lifetime. With the right information, having a spouse in the service can be a unique and memorable time, but without the right preparedness and resources, this journey can be challenging. So, we have developed specialized courses that will provide spouses with a forum to dispel myths, answer questions, and alleviate fears.

COMPASS
COMPASS is a team-mentoring program developed by spouses for spouses. Compass sessions are presented on a regular schedule throughout the year at over 15 different locations worldwide. This unique course helps spouses understand and meet the challenges of the Navy lifestyle. Becoming a new Navy spouse can seem like traveling to a foreign country with it’s own language, customs, traditions and healthcare system. This 12-hour program (presented in three four-hour sessions) provides spouses with a realistic understanding of being part of the Navy family. Visit our COMPASS page to discover more.

Command Spouse Leadership Course
This spouse-led course was established in 1997 to capitalize on the positive impact spouses have on commanding officers, command support teams, and command families. It is crucial that spouses fully understand each others expected participation in all facets of the command tour on both professional and personal levels. This course is designed to shed light on what a tour is and how it will affect the family. The one-week course held in Newport, Rhode Island includes lessons in situational leadership, values, ethics, conflict resolution, stress, and crisis management. Visit our Command Spouse Courses page to read more.

Command Master Chief Spouse Leadership Course
This one-week course is designed exclusively for spouses of Senior enlisted personnel. It was modeled after the successful Command Spouse Leadership Course, then tailored to fit Senior Enlisted Spouses, and provides the same lessons in situational leadership, values, ethics, conflict resolution, stress and crisis management. In addition to in-depth discussions of the Ombudsman Program and the Command Support Team, you will also have an opportunity to learn from the real life experiences of a former Command Master Chief and spouse. More information can be found on the Command Spouse Courses page.

Guideline Publication Series
Our popular Guideline publication series has been an invaluable tool for generations of Navy Spouses. It deals with understanding naval tradition, planning for challenges, and preparing for emergencies. We have made all of our publications, including the popular “Sea Legs,” available for download online. You can view and download our e-reader friendly publications by visiting the Guidelines page.

CORE Library
The Continuum of Resources and Education Library was developed to provide educational resources to spouses at all stages of their sea service family journey. The CORE online library provides a framework with which we can all learn and build on our mutual experiences as military spouses and family members. You can view our available resources, ideal for workshops, on our CORE Library page.